A Conversation on the Other Side
by Cornell Darkheart
Summary: As Deidara leaves the realm of the living and enters that of the dead, he awaits his judgment with a boy he never saw but always knew. Just a nice, little one-shot.


White. Pure, radiant light as far as the eye can see. Vast, immeasurable space. Brilliance. Emptiness.

A tiny sphere of black began to form amidst the light. The darkness grew larger and denser, to the size of a fist. Two, empty white eyes opened and looked forward. Jagged teeth split the darkness open, and an anguished scream emitted from it's core. It squirmed, struggled, in pain, as the black branched out in streams. The branches branched out, and the lines formed the shape of a human body. The center of the orb shut it's eyes, it's teeth becoming white and flat. A thin layer of skin started to cover the lines and the orb, leaving only an opening for the mouth. The skin grew darker and more complete, and the appearance of a naked, bald man became complete.

He fell to the ground in shock, looking down at his bare legs as clothing materialized around them. From the top of his head, blonde hair began to grow out, long and wild. It fell over his left eye a moment before he felt a headband materialize over his forehead. Finally, a hair band fell before him.

_What happened…? Have I died? Is this place… my creation? Who…_ His thoughts were scattered, aimless. As time passed, memories flooded his mind and clarity arrived.

"That's right… It's Deidara… and… I used that attack, hm… It costs my life but…" he stopped, and a large smile came to his face, "Sasuke Uchiha! Aha! That's right! My final creation, hm! He's dead! There's no way he isn't dead! My art… My masterpiece succeeded, hm!"

He fell on his back, laughing in triumph. For several minutes, he laid there, savoring the moment. He began becoming restless, and rose to his feet, looking around. He could not see anything but white. Slipping a hand under his blonde bangs, he revealed his left eye and took a harder look, but found nothing still.

"So… this is what death feels like, hm? I'm already bored with it."

"That's unfortunate. You may be here for eternity."

Another voice came from behind him. The blonde man spun around, reaching for the sides of his belt, into the bags at his sides, finding them empty. It mattered not, though. Raising his hands, the man looked into his palms. A pair of lips emerged from each palm, but he could not will them to open. Desperately, he looked down at the mouth on his chest and found he could not open it either.

"On the other hand, you might not be here long at all, so hurry up and get over here," came the other voice again. Deidara finally looked to the speaker and took him in. He was a teenage boy with messy, red hair. A thick, white shawl was draped over his shoulders and the green robe that covered his legs. His head was bowed, sitting amongst the infinite white.

Deidara took a step back and shouted, "The Kazekage, is it? I must have been sent to Hell, and this must be my form of torment? I'm going to be attacked and tortured by you for all of eternity, hm?"

The boy shook his head before raising it to look at the man. They locked eyes for a moment, and the man realized his mistake. The boy's soft, brown eyes were distant but full, with no signs of insomnia. The blonde man let out a small grunt as he moved to sit beside the boy.

"What is it, then? Are you some kind of spiritual guide, hm?" Deidara lowered his visible eye, examining the boy.

"I'm afraid that I am nothing more than another victim of this realm. This place is what is known as Purgatory. It is the threshold between life and death, where the innocent wait to rise to Heaven and where the guilty wait to be dragged to into Hell. All those who die enter this realm and await their judgment. Those who cannot be judged remain here."

"I see. So that Sasuke bastard should be here soon, right? I killed him, hm." Deidara began scanning the horizon again, anxiously.

"I'm afraid that's not the case," the boy responded, but before he could say anymore, a sliver of purple appeared amongst the white. It shook and writhed, growing thicker and longer, scales growing along it's length, white fangs sprouting from one end. Smoking burns covered the body, which faded as the form became more complete. In a matter of moments, a giant snake was laid out near the two.

It writhed and cursed, "Damn you, Sasuke Uchiha! Damn you to hell! I am not a tool for your survival, you filthy bast…" but before the snake could curse any more, it burst into flames, writhing violently. It's entire body was reduced to ash in a matter of moments. The ashes were visible for only a moment before they dissolved into the white.

"…No… That… No… Sasuke… Survival… He…"

"That would be what happens when one is judged to be sent to Hell. Also, it appears that Sasuke guy used the snake to protect himself from your explosion. You're probably not too happy about that," the boy completed the man's thoughts as the older one stared at where the ashes where.

"But, I… I gave my entire life… and…"

"Would you like to see the result?"

"Hm?"

"The result of your explosion. Would you like to see it?"

Deidara stared blankly, "You can show me that?"

The boy shook his head, pointing at the ground, "No, but you can show yourself that. Just draw a circle and remember where you last were in the other life."

Incredulously, he followed the boy's instructions and drew the circle. With his hands at either side of it, he closed his eyes and thought hard about the last thing he could remember; sitting in the forest, looking into the mocking, arrogant Sharingan eyes that he wished to extinguish the life from. A smile came to his face as he remembered, opening his eyes and peering into the white. It seemed to open before him, but what he found was nearly as empty as the white. It was scorched earth, brown and black, no traces of life.

"What am I looking at, hm?" the man stared hard at the image. The boy grabbed his shoulder with a small, warm hand, peering into the circle with him.

"It appears to be about 12 kilometers of destruction."

The realization struck Deidara hard, and his face split in a greedy grin. "It's even larger than I imagined, huh!" he cried, looking eagerly down at it, "An explosion of that size could be seen from the very depths of space itself, hm! God himself could have witnessed my art unfold…" his smile faded

Sitting at the edge of the charred earth was a boy with spiky black hair, surrounded by three other teenagers that were hunched over him, treating his wounds.

"God damn him! How dare he defile the triumph of my art over that entire realm of the living, huh!" The older man curled his hands into fists and pounded them into the image, banishing it from view.

"Tch. That's hardly what I'd like to call art, but your frustration can be understood," the boy gripped his shoulder lightly before taking a seat beside him again.

"I just don't understand why… Hm…?" Deidara opened his eyes wide and looked at the boy, as if noticing him for the first time, "Wait a minute… You were the one who mentioned the explosion first. How could you have possibly known what my art was, hm?"

Before the boy could open his mouth, one of Deidara's arms burst into flames. He cried out in agony, and the boy rose to his feet, gradually stepping back. He spoke softly, "It appears that judgment has begun to pass. It seems that you will become what you want to call art once again. What you define as art is foolishness, though. True art lies in permanent, un-rotting, perfect creation; beauty that withstands time itself."

The flames consumed the man, but his eyes were fixed on the boy, reaching out to him hopelessly, no sound leaving his lips as they moved.

…_Master…_


End file.
